SAN ANTONIO, March 9 (UPI) -- A new indictment in Texas charges 35 people linked to the Barrio Azteca gang with racketeering, murder, drug and other charges, U.S. authorities said Wednesday.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said 10 of the 35 defendants named in the superseding indictment are charged with the March 13 slayings of U.S. Consulate employee Leslie Ann Enriquez Catton, her husband Arthur Redelfs and Jorge Alberto Salcido Ceniceros, the husband of a U.S. Consulate employee in Juarez, Mexico.
A dozen of the suspects not already in custody were arrested Wednesday in Texas and New Mexico. Another dozen defendants, including seven of those charged in the three killings, were being held in Mexico. U.S. and Mexican authorities were discussing extradition and other matters in the case, the Justice Department said in a release.
"Without question, the arrests and charges that we are announcing today will disrupt Barrio Azteca's current operations," Holder said.
He said efforts continue to find those responsible for killing Immigrant and Customs Enforcement special agent Jaime Zapata and wounding ICE agent Victor Avila in Mexico last month, and killing Customs and Border Patrol agent Brian Terry in Southern Arizona in December.
"Let me be clear: no matter where they live or hide out -- even if it's beyond our borders, in Mexico or in other countries -- those who have threatened and devastated American lives will be held accountable for their actions," Holder said. "Criminal by criminal, gang by gang, mile by mile -- we will keep up our fight to end the scourge of violence along our Southwest border, and to prosecute acts of violence to the full extent of the law."
The indictment alleges the BA gang members formed an alliance with the Vicente Carrillo-Fuentes drug trafficking organization in Mexico, conducting enforcement operations against VCF rivals in return for illegal drugs at discounted prices.
"The indictment unsealed today offers a chilling picture of a highly organized, and extremely brutal gang," said Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer. "This is, at times, a gruesome battle. But let there be no mistake: We will devote our might to bringing Barrio Azteca and other gangs to justice for their acts of violence and intimidation along our border."
